A long road ahead for Japan

Some humanitarian disasters occupy a few days worth of headlines -- if that -- and then quickly become a distant memory, if they're remembered at all.

The Japan quake and tsunami, in my opinion, has been the opposite. On March 11, we were instantly exposed to a flood of media coverage on the devastation in northeast Japan and the gravity of the nuclear crisis created by the crippled power plant. That coverage didn't subside much in the weeks to follow. On some level, the headlines and news clips about this historic natural disaster seem to have rendered the crisis more of an ongoing suspense film than a real-life story about human suffering.

One month after the disaster, I must remember to view the events in Japan in the latter context. Some 31 days since the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami, there are still thousands homeless, still thousands missing, and still thousands who must rebuild their lives from the rubble that this tremor has left behind. This isn't a movie or television program that I can turn on or off based upon my level of interest. The people of Japan certainly can't.

To that end, World Vision is still there -- and we will be, for the days, weeks, and months to come, helping children and families recover a sense of normalcy, stability, and independence. Japan's tragedy may eventually fade from the 24-hour news cycle, but our commitment will not. Check out the updates below on what we've done so far, and what we have planned over the long term.

World Vision: One month later, a long road to recovery awaits survivors in Japan

One month after the powerful 9.0-magnitude earthquake that unleashed a massive tsunami in northeastern Japan, hundreds of thousands of homeless face a long, painful road to recovery.

With a confirmed death toll of more than 12,800 and so much uncertainty remaining around the almost 15,000 still missing, the key to long-term recovery for the millions affected by the tsunami is to focus on restoring life to normal, as soon as possible.

'Need of people...is immense'

With staff responding within 48 hours of the disaster on March 11, World Vision has scaled up its response dramatically over the past month, already reaching more than 17,500 people with emergency relief items.

"The need of people in northeastern Japan is immense, and we are committed to help meeting it," said Nobuhiko Katayama, national director of World Vision in Japan.

"Survivors have a long road ahead as they face months in evacuation centers, then the process of rebuilding their lives. World Vision remains committed to supporting them every step of the way."